This information is for the 2025 festival. Accessibility details for 2026 will be shared closer to the time.

Bristol Light Festival is a free event which fills the city with light and colour, showcasing Bristol as the vibrant, playful and creative city that we know and love.

The Festival is open between 5pm – 10pm each evening from 31st
January – 9th February 2025.

There is a printed map available to pick up from any of the installation points and stewards positioned at each installation to help you, they are wearing white high visibility vests.

To access the Bristol Light Festival Audio Guide download the Guide.AI app and search for Guide ID 169.

 

Download our accessibility guide

We use the website what3words.com to help with finding each location. You can find the what three word location of each installation on the printed map, in this document and on our website.

There is an Information Hut on Queen Square, where you can go to ask questions about the event. Staff here will be able to help you during festival hours.

Most of the installations are in the open air, so wrap up warm. We estimate that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evening will be quieter nights to attend the festival, whereas Thursday – Sunday will be busier.

We are hosting an accessible walking tour on 4 February, 5.30-6.30pm for those interested in a guided experience.

Information Hut, Food Market & Bristol is Always a Good Idea

This year Queen Square will be transformed into a Festival Hub. You can come here to pick up a printed map or ask for help from the stewards at the Information Hut, find delicious food and warm drinks at the food market, and take a photo with our giant ‘Bristol is Always a Good Idea’ neon sign which was made for our 2024 festival. Swing Song is also found in this location.

  • There are lots of benches and places to rest in the square.
  • There is additional seating and heaters available in the Food Market area.
  • This is a good place to come if you’d like help or advice- spot our staff who will be wearing white high vis jackets.
  • There is step free access to this installation.
  • The artwork is installed onto the grass on Queen Square.
  • The artwork is also viewable from the hard standing pavements. The grass underneath the swings have been covered with protective trackway.
  • Plan to spend about 20 minutes at this installation to look at it and get photos. The installation will be busier at weekends than week days. On busier nights there will likely be queues of up to 90 minutes to ride on the swings.
  • The Nearest Parking is on Queen Square – Street parking with accessible bays available.
  • The nearest public / community toilets are located at Hole In the Wall, 2 The Grove Bristol, BS1 4QZ which is about 10 minute walk away.

Location: Queen Square

Anthems: Volume One by Marcus Lyall & RUN Collective

This is a world premier installation designed especially for Bristol Light Festival. It is a celebration of the Drum and Bass culture which originated in our city. Although it won’t be as intense as going to a club night, it will be relatively loud with DnB music, flashing lights and haze.

  • There are flashing lights, lasers and haze at this installation.
  • It is an indoor installation with a maximum capacity of 60 people at a time. You can also look at the installation from outside the shop through the shop window, if you would like a more gentle experience.
  • The full music loop is 15 minutes long, but you can stay for as long as you’d like to.
  • There may be queues to entry on busier evenings (weekends are usually much busier than weekdays). If waiting in a queue is difficult for you please make yourself known to one of our stewards wearing white high visibility vests to be moved to the front of the queue.
  • There is step free access to this installation.
  • The installation is an indoor location with the ability to also view from outside the shop through the window for a less intense experience.
  • Plan to spend about 20 minutes at this installation to look at it and get photos. The installation will be busier at weekends than week days.
  • The nearest parking is at Cabot Circus, Dale St, Bristol BS2 9AB, which is five minutes journey
    from the installation.
  • The Nearest Accessible toilet is at Cabot Circus*, where there is also a Changing Places, Parent and baby room and Family room. (*Until 5.30pm on Sundays)

Location: Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus

C-Scales by Bruce Munro Studio

C-Scales is an audio-visual installation; nearly 2000 CDs and DVDs are going to be suspended in the front facade of Left Handed Giant, with an array of animations projected onto them, creating gentle reflections in the area around. The installation is best viewed after dark, from Castle Bridge, and is a gentle contemplative piece.

  • There is a gentle soundtrack at this installation.
  • There are no flashing lights at this installation, it is a projected artwork best seen after dark.
  • The installation is outdoor in the open air.
  • There is step free access to this installation.
  • There are hardstanding ramps to the bridge. The bridge is made of wooden slats, they have traction grips.
  • There is a grit and slab pavement route to the installation on the cycle path (turning off Bristol Bridge on the Castle Park side of the river).
  • Plan to spend about 20 minutes at the installation. The installation will be busier at weekends than week days.
  • There is a car drop off place on Bath Street, (turn down Hawkins lane from here to reach the bridge- no steps and wide large slab hard standing ground)
  • The nearest accessible toilet is inside Left Handed Giant, approximately 2 minutes from the installation.

Location: Castle Bridge, Finzels Reach

Our Beating Heart by Studio Vertigo

Our Beating Heart is a giant heart shaped mirrorball which is slowly rotating. Lit up by bright spotlights, the disco ball fragments reflect light back into the area around. It is a non interactive installation which you can stand in front of and is a good photo opportunity.

  • There is a gentle musical soundtrack to this installation, depending on what time you visit, it will either be in ‘heartbeat’ mode (where you can hear a heartbeat sound) or a disco soundtrack (a playlist of 70s and 80s disco music, perfect for a dance).
  • There are no flashing lights at this installation, but the mirrorball does reflect thousands of tiny light pools which move around the area around.
  • The installation is located in the church gardens, there are a limited number of seats available to sit and look at the installation.
  • The ground underfoot is a mix of cobbles and grass matt, it is step free.
  • There is step free access to this installation.
  • The ground is a mix of cobbles and grass, which will be covered by grass matts.
  • Plan to spend about 10 – 20 minutes at this installation to look at it and get photos, but you are welcome to stay longer.
  • The Nearest Parking is Trenchard Street, NCP Charlotte Street and Bristol’s College Green car park (4 hr parking limit).
  • The nearest accessible toilet and community toilets are at Watershed, 1 Canon’s Rd, Bristol BS1 5TX. Located on the first floor, there is a lift.

Location: St Stephen’s Church Gardens

Parallels by Architecture Social Club

Parallels is an immersive installation that uses the precision of lasers and mirrors to transform moving footage into a floating abstractions of light. There is haze at this installation and moving lights set to a gentle piece of music.

  • There is a music track playing on a loop at this installation.
  • There are no strobe lights at this installation, but there are bright, moving lights.
  • This installation has no interactive elements, it is a passive sculpture for you to enjoy at your own leisure.
  • There may be queues to enter the church on busier evenings (weekends are usually much busier than weekdays). If waiting in a queue is difficult for you please make yourself known to one of our stewards wearing white high visibility vests to be moved to the front of the queue.
  • There is step free access to this installation, with a small ramp as you enter the church.
  • The ground is a mix of hard standing concrete, cobbles and trackway overlaid on grass.
  • Plan to spend about 20 minutes at this installation to look at it and get photos. The installation will be busier at weekends than week days, and there may be a long queue to enter the Church at these times.
  • The nearest parking is street parking, on Victoria Street.
  • The nearest accessible toilet is inside Left Handed Giant, approximately 10 minutes from the installation.

Location: Temple Church

Ramandu’s Table by Bruce Munro Studio

Paying homage to the original plastic pink flamingo creator Don Featherstone, a flock of over 1,000 flamingos can be found outside City Hall on College Green. Illuminated with an array of continually changing dawn hues, this is a playful and gentle installation. 

  • There is a gentle soundtrack at this installation.
  • There are no flashing lights at this installation.
  • This installation has no interactive elements, it is a passive sculpture for you to enjoy at your own leisure.
  • The installation is outdoors, in the open air. 
  • This is a great location to stop and take a photo. 
  • There is step free access to this installation.
  • The installation is located on the water outside of City Hall, and best viewed from the pathway.
  • Plan to spend about 20 minutes at this installation to look at it and get photos. The installation will be busier at weekends than week days.
  • The Nearest Parking is Trenchard Street, NCP Charlotte Street and Bristol’s College Green car park (4 hr parking limit).
  • The nearest accessible toilet and community toilets are at Watershed, 1 Canon’s Rd, Bristol BS1 5TX. Located on the first floor, there is a lift. They are approx 5 minutes from the installation.

Location: City Hall, College Green

Somnius by Illumaphonium

A gentle, interactive artwork which responds to audiences as they move underneath the giant sculpture which is made up of over three quarters of a million LED Pixels. 

  • There is music at this installation which changes in response to how people move underneath the artwork.
  • There are no strobe lights, but there are flashing lights at this installation.
  • The installation is next to the waterfront, please be careful around the waters edge. 
  • This is a great location to stop and take a photo.
  • There is step free access to this installation.
  • The ground is hard standing concrete slabs.
  • Plan to spend about 20 minutes at this installation to look at it and get photos. The installation will be busier at weekends than week days. 
  • The Nearest Parking is at Millennium Square Car Park, Canons Way, Bristol BS1 5LL.
  • The nearest accessible toilet and community toilets are at Watershed, 1 Canon’s Rd, Bristol BS1 5TX. Located on the first floor, there is a lift. They are approx 5 minutes from the installation.

Location: Bristol Amphitheatre

Swing Song by Bristol Light Festival

Bristol Light Festival’s very own Swing Song is back! A set of six interactive swings which light up and play music as you swing back and forth. Fly high for a crescendo or go low for more ambient vibes. The swings play a set of tracks which have been produced especially for Bristol Light Festival. One swing controls the bass line, another controls the melody, and a third controls drums and percussion. Small movements produce simple tunes, but as users swing higher and higher the tracks evolve into more complex melodies. 

  • This is a louder installation with music and colourful, flashing lights.
  • The nearest accessible toilet is located in Watershed (about 5 minutes away).
  • Each individual swing has a weight load of 150kg, and the seats are 570mm wide. 
  • There may be queues of up to 90 minutes on busier evenings (weekends are usually much busier than weekdays). If waiting in a queue is difficult for you please make yourself known to one of our stewards wearing white high visibility vests to be moved to the front of the queue.
  • There is step free access to this installation.
  • The artwork is installed onto the grass on Queen Square. The artwork is also viewable from the hard standing pavements. The grass underneath the swings have been covered with protective trackway.
  • Plan to spend about 20 minutes at this installation to look at it and get photos. The installation will be busier at weekends than week days. On busier nights there will likely be queues of up to 90 minutes to ride on the swings. 
  • The nearest parking is on Queen Square – Street parking with accessible bays available. 
  • The nearest public / community toilets are located at Hole In the Wall, 2 The Grove Bristol, BS1 4QZ which is about 10 minute walk away. 

Location: Queen Square

Tetra by Ottomata

Tetra is an interactive audio-visual installation. Tetra is a giant cube made up of a stretchy material. When audiences press into the material, it changes the the projected artwork and the sound design. This installation is great for sensory play. 

  • There is sound at this installation, it is a gentle soundtrack which changes as audiences play with the installation.
  • There are no strobing lights at this installation.
  • This installation is outdoors in the open air.
  • It is a great installation for people who enjoy tactile sensory play.
  • There is step free access to this installation.
  • The ground is hard standing concrete slabs.
  • Plan to spend about 20 minutes at this installation to play and get photos. The installation will be busier at weekends than week days. On busier days a queue system may be implemented to limit the number of people interacting with the artwork at one time, but we anticipate that any queues would be fast moving. 
  • The nearest parking is NCP Bristol Broadmead, Lower Castle St, Bristol BS1 3AF
  • The nearest accessible toilet is at Cabot Circus*, where there is also a changing places, parent and baby room and Family room, or in the Galleries** (*until 5.30pm on Sundays, **until 6pm) 

Location: The Podium, Broadmead

The Whilers by Air Giants

A world premiere for Bristol Light Festival, The Whilers is a charming family-friendly installation which features three giant inflatable creatures who use non-verbal sounds and language to communicate with one another and make new friends in the audience. Every so often the Whilers sing to each other, and also move their heads to playfully interact with audience members. 

  • There is sound at this installation, it is gentle and at a low level.
  • There are no flashing lights at this installation, but the inflatables are illuminated from inside.
  • There is step free access to this installation, with a small ramp to enter the green area. 
  • The ground is uneven, with trackway used to cover the grass areas and cobble stone paths. 
  • Plan to spend about 20 minutes at this installation to look at it and get photos. The installation will be busier at weekends than week days.
  • The Nearest Parking is on the streets around St Mary Redcliffe.
  • The nearest public / community toilets are located at Hole In the Wall, 2 The Grove Bristol, BS1 4QZ which is about 10 minute walk away. 

Location: St Mary Redcliffe Gardens